Dengue fever remains critical in many areas

BANGKOK, July 16 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health has warned that dengue hemorrhagic fever is critical in many areas, as the number of patients has risen by three times so far this year, 71 of them aged 15-24 years old, have died, compared with the corresponding period of last year. Public Health Minister Dr. Pradit Sintawanarong acknowledged on Tuesday that the spread of dengue fever in the country is peaking, as downpours have increased the breeding grounds of common-house mosquitoes, the carriers of the disease. The Thai health minister, meanwhile, encouraged village-based health volunteers to educate local peopls on the disease and asked local administrative organizations to kill dengue mosquitoes and their larvae. In Chiang Rai province in the Thai North, there have been 4,290 patients, including local people and monks, and four have died so far this year, with the highest number of patients recorded in Mae Sai district. Staffs of many Thai hospitals have kept dengue fever patients in mosquito nets to prevent mosquitoes from biting them and transmitting the disease to others. All the hospitals are also offering quick screening procedures for dengue fever patients. (TNA)